Cafe Lafayette Dinner Train

BUYER BEWARE: Please be very explicit when calling them about dates they are open. Neither Unilocal,Google Business, or their website is clear that this is a seasonal business. In fact, if you go to their website now, you would probably not know that they are closed or seasonal, either.
Given this, you would think that staff would have made me aware that their season was coming to an end when I bought a gift certificate in advance as a honeymoon gift for my friends. You would also think that given this was never made clear to me and it was for such a rare and special occasion (we are not locals — they knew that as they mailed my gift card to New York), that there would be some understanding from the owners for the honeymooners given my gift was rendered useless for their special trip. But quite the opposite — they are taking the money and running. No refund. Some false assurances that my gift certificate will never expire (even though they hand wrote in the card themselves that it is only valid until next year, and NH law says that gift certificates over $ 100 expire within 5 years).
As the owner of a small business in the food service industry, I can assure you that it does not have to be this way. While the money is great to have in-​hand, you are also in the business of creating special memories for people, and that should matter as well. And a better business that actually gets people to return can be built by being kind and not greedy.

Oct 16^th 2015
Went on the dinner train with friends tonight. We loved it. Food was great. Service was good. We had great view of fall foliage and pemi river. It got dark on the return ride. The lights on the side of the train lit up the trees. It was pretty .I can’t wait to go back again.
Nancy from Boston

Sensational Dinner Train Experience!
This was truly one of the most unique dinner experiences we’ve had.
Five Course Prepared Dinner… Every Course exceeded our expectations. The Swordfish melted in our mouth and was the very best swordfish we’ve tasted.
The Soup, The Salad, The Sorbet, The Delicious Main Course Swordfish and the incredible Pumpkin Cream cheese
Swirl fresh made cake.
The Staff were all Friendly, Professional and Accomodating and the Fall Foliage and Lake and Stream Views on the entire ride were SPECTACULAR!
Will definitely be back again and will recommend to everyone!

We had a great time. The food and service is excellent and it was fun riding the train. Don’t set high expectations for scenery and you won’t be disappointed. I wouldn’t pay the extra money to sit up top.

My first experience dining on the Café Lafayette Dinner Train just also happened to be their first annual wild game night, and it was nothing short of spectacular.
Appetizers included a wild boar sausage and alligator gumbo and bison ribs with handmade black pepper pappardelle. The gumbo had just the right amount of heat and a conundrum of different textures, making nearly every spoonful different. Ribs were good but the pasta was amazing, delicately light and coated with a rich jus that I couldn’t get enough of.
Everyone got the salad course, which consisted of greens, goat cheese, blueberries, marinated peaches and thinly sliced duck that was so succulent.
The amuse bouche was this adorable scoop of blackberry and passion fruit sorbet. More tart than sweet, but the perfect little bite before our entrees.
The main course was a choice between bourbon marinated elk chops, and a Hawaiian moon fish. My date and I both got the elk and were anything but disappointed. The meat was sliced thin and fanned over a crispy potato croquette and dressed with this sweet, rich bourbon sauce (that I wish there was more of!)
For dessert we had a chocolate chili cheesecake and a vanilla panna cotta. The cheesecake was good, with a hint of background heat and not too sweet but the panna cotta stole the show. Served with biscotti and a berry purée the combination of the three were out of this world. Hands down best dessert I’ve had.
Overall the experience on the train was memorable. Owners Mike and Ali were graciously attentive and friendly, from casual conversation to crumbing our table to taking our picture and everything inbetween. The food was served timely and presentations were beautifully whimsical. Clearly picture worthy! Will definitely be returning to the dinner train, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in good food and a unique, out-​of-​the-​ordinary atmosphere.

We took the dinner train on the fourth of July and sat in the top car. Overall we had a great experience — the food was fantastic, the drinks were great, and the service was excellent. Our waitress enjoyed picking on my husband and we all had a good laugh. The cheesecake that night was delicious and the overall history and ambiance of the train was great. I’m not sure if they ever head north instead of south on the tracks but it would be good to know that as I’d really like some north scenery.
The only thing I can’t say I’m «sold» on is that the value of the train is $ 90 PP. I don’t have complaints about the night itself but after the amount of food we received and the fact that you are in New Hampshire I do believe it is overpriced. As others have said I have done other prix fixed menu’s including those in cities and more expensive towns and they have been cheaper or in line with this.

If you love food and trains this train is wonderful. The staff, food and service are top notch. The train is cool. We sat up top, which was very nice, but I think sitting in one of the other historical coaches would have been fine too. For those of you who want to complain about the view, if you were expecting a trip through the white mountains, please read the brochure. It’s a pleasant 8 mph ride through some nice country. It’s probably stunning during foliage season. These folks are doing a great job and deserve all the support they can get.

Disappointing overall/​not worth $ 90 per person
Pros — the service, the strawberry/​mango sorbet, the glazed chicken (ok not great), dessert
Cons — the scenery was mostly trees and there was a golf course — couldn’t see anything else. You could get beautiful scenery by taking a drive through mountains or going on one of the adventure tours. The steak was mostly gristle — not fat but hard chewy gristle, ¾ inedible, when owner came around had taken one bite was ok, when told server she said it’s the way the animals are fed and they cook with as much fat on it as possible to get the flavor and she could tell the chef but they do get a lot of complaints about the steak. I told her it was gristle when I brought it to her attention not fat. I opted not to tell the chef since this is a common problem with the steak. If there have been many complaints and it hasn’t been fixed yet then it probably won’t be. The dome is a bit crowded if you have 3 ppl. It’s not a quiet atmosphere in that section. Too pricey for what you get. We expected better.
There’s a beautiful dinner train in cape cod at Hyannis port and an excellent 4 or 5 course meal at a restaurant in Milford, NH for $ 39.95 per person if that’s what you’re looking for but do something else in the White Mountains.

Our experience was fantastic! It’s been on my bucket list for a few years now, and I’m so glad that we did it. I will rave about this experience for the rest of my life — excellent food, incredible service, and so unique. Oh, and we opted to spend a bit more for a table in the dome car — definitely worth the extra money in my opinion. The only thing I would say was slightly disappointing was the actual scenery along the rail. Much of the ride was going through neighborhoods/​backyards of houses. But, we did go in the fall during peak foliage, so the ride through the woods was beautiful.

Food was great, service excellent as was the wait staff but the train ride were not what I expected. Considering he price I don’t believe the value was there. The train ride was 30 minutes one way and the same backwards on the same rail line.
For 4 of us and 3 glasses of wine, our bill came to $ 440. I don’t think it was worth what it. We don’t have any plan for returning.

Ok, we came back. And got the exact same table, but we swapped sides. LOL
Train was not full, very surprising for a weekend run.
The food, service, tastes, WOW! Continued to impress.
One thing did not. The owner/​hostess appeared to be having a bad day and that showed to the guests. Hopefully they read this.
Everything else? Was so awesome we could overlook the bad day the hostess was having.
The price did increase for 2014. But the value for the food, service and location/​style of eating is still a great deal.
We’ll be back again next year. Maybe we’ll try another car?

I took this train last summer and it was spectacular. It deserves more than five stars. The food was superb. Do yourself a favor and get on this train. Well worth the price. Service was excellent.

Not worth the money, Seriously, at $ 80 per person they should allow you to have more than one dinner role. The ravioli appetizer was paper thin, the rib appetizer tasted like stew meat and the for the price they can really do better than raw green beans and carrots as the only vegetable.
We got one description of the dinner from the person who announced it and one from our waitress (the waitress was a highlight, professional and correct about the food description).
As for the dessert? A pumpkin role cake that tasted as though it was made the day before and kept in the freezer.
The trip was short and stopped on bridge where we had the view of rusty girders for about 15 minutes.
Beautiful train, but really, for what they are charging, really not worth it.
5 courses:
1. dinner roll
2. appetizer
3. main course
3. sorbet
4. dessert
Really, a dinner role and a gumball sized scoop of sorbet qualify as courses?

We decided to take the dinner train because it sounded very interesting and unique. The trip included a 5 course meal and we ordered a bottle of wine to go with our meal. It was a two hour train ride through the mountains of NH. It was relaxing but I thought the food wasn’t amazing. The views were OK, nothing breath taking. At one point, the train cuts through a golf course and people’s back yards. It was a unique experience of eating on a dinner train and enjoying some quiet time with my wife. It was pricey but worth the experience. I don’t think I would do it again if I was in the area but it was a nice experience.

Folks, if you are seeking superb ambiance, food, beverages and service you MUST experience the Café LaFayette Dinner Train! An ever changing menu prepared on board while you view wonderful scenery in The White Mountains on wonderfully restored dinning cars. The owners/​operators are on board working side by side with the crew to make sure every guest is satisfied. Make reservations for dome car seats. Great view from the dome.

Wonderful food, one very entertaining waiter, all waitpersons attentive. We stayed on the bottom levels rather than paying extra $ 10 each for the observation top dining especially if you are tall or claustrophobic. Main level dining is roomy and has the best views. You can confirm that at the end when allowed to explore everywhere.

My parents gave me the best birthday ever in July 2012, with a trip on this dinner train. It was a truly incredible dining experience! The entire meal was on par with the finest restaurants in the country and the service was tremendous! Our server, David (who is the Head Waiter, according to a special on Great Scenic Railway Journeys), really knew how to make us feel special. He was charming, funny, and perfectly attentive. I love when a server really gets into their role and the dining experience becomes a living performance. We had seats in the dome of the «Granite Eagle» train. It was beautifully appointed, with amazing views of river, meadows, and mountains. My first courses included delicious scallops and salad. For the main course, I had the filet mignon, served with mashed potatoes. It was all perfectly cooked and so so so scrumptious! I forget now what the desserts were, but I remember we enjoyed them! My parents surprised me with a birthday cake, that the chef also made on special order. It included white cake and strawberries, my favorite! One of my parents ordered the salmon with multi-​grain pilaf. And it looked delicious, as well. They also have a full bar and I got to order my favorite drink, gin and tonic with Bombay Sapphire. I can’t say enough good things about the Café Lafayette Dinner Train. If you love trains, beautiful scenery, amazing food and dessert, a classy atmosphere, and wonderful service, you will LOVE this dining experience!

Marvelous dining experience… haut cuisine at its best… fine meal, excellent wait staff… couldn’t be more perfect… our group of five was blown away… thank you all…

I would give a rating of 10 stars if it were possible. This was the BEST experience especially during fall foliage season. The staff was extremely professional and made sure that everything was done to everyone’s liking. All of the five courses were to the highest standards and they offered a few choices for the appetizers and entrees. The service was top notch with perfect timing between each course, not too early and not waiting either with great big band jazz music playing in the overhead speakers giving an incredibly relaxed ambience and made for a perfect evening. I will definitely do it again any time I am in the area. This is a must do for anyone that wants to enhance their experience in
the Franconia Notch area.